1. Technical Field
This invention relates to surgical instrumentation for implanting a grommet for a bone joint replacement prosthesis, and more particularly an instrument for inserting a grommet into the medullary canal of a bone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During surgical implantation of, for example, a toe or finger prostheses, it is typically necessary to utilize a grommet on the prostheses stems. Prostheses designed for use with grommet include a thickened mid-section and are fabricated from a flexible elastomeric, physiologically inert material, such as a cured silicone rubber, that is susceptible to lacerations and tearing at the stems which can lead to premature failure of the prostheses. The grommet shield the prostheses stems from shearing caused by sharp bone edges of the resected bone of the medullary canal believed to be responsible for lacerations and tearing.
The prostheses stems generally correspond to the dimension of the medullary canal of the bones adjacent the prostheses thickened midsection and are implantable within the canal. Prior to implantation of the stem, one grommet is surgically implanted within the medullary canal of the bone adjacent the thickened midsection before the stem is implanted into the medullary canal.
The above procedure requires an accurate press-fitting of the grommet into the medullary canal.
There remains a need for an instrument that can accurately insert the grommet into the medullary canal without bending, scratching, or distorting the grommet.